We added 3 leafs to both sides. But the right side ended up being higher so Larry pulled one of the three leafs back out again. It's pretty close to level now.
CK5
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'91 K5 Four Wheel Camper
This is the build for my 1991 V1500 Blazer, AKA the K5.3. It started out life being sold to the U.S. Government with a 350 TBI/700r4/241 combo. 4 years with a 5.3/700r4 Combo and now moving to an 8.1L Vortec and NV4500 5-speed.
Awesome! Very good to know. I need to do this with mine ASAP
We did our annual New Year's day snow run yesterday. Long day due to some less prepared folks causing delays. I was flat exhausted when I got home. I didn't go nuts with pics but I was taking video clips throughout the day from my phone. Larry and Ian came along in Larry's Waggy. Our buddy Bill had his trusty Tacoma and Andy was on his maiden voyage with his L29 equipped Suburban.
There were a TON of other rigs. Like too many
There were some interesting rides. The 5.9Limited Grand Cherokee was packing a serious punch with a built magnum. His son was driving a modified diesel Liberty that was pretty cool. Too many were equipped with not enough tire and overcompensation with too much throttle. It would lend to some of the issues we ran into during the day.
First goal is to make it to our host's cabin. We took the long way in from the south, but at the lower elevation, the snow was minimal except for in the shady areas. Our hos was driving the 5.9 Limited Jeep. (click on the image to go to my flickr page to watch)
Snow run by Rob Zulian, on Flickr
You might notice by the sound I've got a wicked exhaust leak. I got to listen to it ALL day. Left side manifold blew out the gasket.
Snow run by Rob Zulian, on Flickr
Snow run by Rob Zulian, on Flickr
Snow run by Rob Zulian, on Flickr
Snow run by Rob Zulian, on Flickr
Snow run by Rob Zulian, on Flickr
Standing on the deck of the cabin looking west.
Our host lit a fire in the fireplace to warm us up and he cooked up a mess of hamburgers and hot dogs, we all bought something to pitch in for lunch that hit the spot after the ride up.
We warmed up and eventually made are way further up the mountain to gain elevation and snow depth. We found it for sure. Larry's Waggy put on a little show with the lockers engaged and let the 6.4 Hemi sing.
Snow run by Rob Zulian, on Flickr
Snow run by Rob Zulian, on Flickr
Snow run by Rob Zulian, on Flickr
Snow run by Rob Zulian, on Flickr
We eventually got high enough to reach a clearing from the trees. That area is deceptive. The wind blows through there drifting the snow deep in low spots. Larry is leading the way and manages to sink in and almost get stuck. He was able to back up enough to let me get by. The trail looked like a groomed ski run with corduroy grooves on the surface. Hmm, we must have stumbled onto a snowmobile trail here. By now I'm in low range and humming along in 2nd gear letting the 8.1 eat. Progress was going well getting a couple of hundred feet past Larry's spot when my momentum slowed and the truck broke through the crust and sunk in deep. No way to move forward or backward. Stuck good. Ironically, it's only a few hundered feet away from where I got stuck in May where I took the picture that was used for the calendar.
Just as stuck as before too.
Bill and Larry work their way down to rescue me. 3 tow straps couldn't reach. Larry had to use the Waggy's winch to pull me back enough to have Bill give me a tug from his direction where he is in shallower snow.
After a group of snowmobiles buzzed through (they didn't look happy to see us either) Bill was able to yank my heavy pig to spot where I could move again.
We've been here many times and much like a gatekeeper on a rock crawling trail, if we can get past this area we won't be able to proceed without a lot of digging and winching. We wisely started heading back down since it was getting late and the shadows getting longer. We didn't want to be up here in the dark.
That didn't stop a Bro-dozer diesel on 22" wheels with skinny mud terrains and 8" trashcan tip exhaust, stock '02 Silverado on street treads and an XJ Cherokee. They dive deep into the same mess I just got pulled from. Sure enough, they all got stuck just as quickly. Somebody in a different Grand Cherokee got them unstuck. We continued to move down the mountain. Making good progress we quickly came to another log jam on the trail.
This time it's a stuper dooty on street treads that managed to pop a bead on a log. He was following us up earlier and had be dealing with it while we were up higher. Turns out he didn't have the key to access his spare tire. So he couldn't swap a tire and move on. Once we got back to him they were mid-efforts to reseat the tire and failing. We lost an hour up there parked. We had to wait it out and watch the sun get lower and the temp drop accordingly. Normally the temp wouldn't be an issue with the heater in my truck, but it wasn't. I had every intention to replace the blower switch and resistor on new years eve, but seemed to have misplaced the two new parts I bought a week earlier. Trudging around in the snow my jeans were frozen, feet wet from the wrong choice in footwear and the temp was dropping fast.
Waiting around for the tire reseat was not helping. Running the truck I got a little residual heat that would come off the vent, but not enough to dethaw my feet. The tire was finally reseated and we were able to start making our way down the trail again. As predicted it was dark before we got off the mountain. Thank goodness I did install the LED bulbs in the headlights finally. Holy crap they throw the light down the road. We aired up our tires when we got back to pavement and made our way back to Westcliffe. Quick stop for fuel and we boogied back home.
It was a great first run for the truck. The drive to the trailhead took us 40 miles down the interstate where the truck hummed along in 5th gear without any issues. The big uphill climb just south of Colorado City where the 5.3/700r4 would be wound out in 2nd gear and losing speed the 8.1 didn't disappoint. Just roll on the throttle and it stayed at or above the speed limit in 5th. On the trail where I'd be in 4lo once the snow started getting deep or steep to keep the 5.3 in the torque band, I kept the t-case in high range and the 8.1 cruised in the snow in second or third gear without complaint. Only when it got really deep did I ever thrown the trans into granny gear or go for 4lo. Larry's spring adjustment really did its job without adding stiffness to the rear end. On-road it felt the same. Off-road it was just as good as before. We both wondered if it would make the rear bouncy or stiff. As un-scientific as we were picking leafs from other packs, it came out good. The steering gear Larry threw on made all the difference for road handling. No more wandering down the road.
Overall, as I thought it's a completely different animal to drive off-road and now on road too.
There were a TON of other rigs. Like too many
There were some interesting rides. The 5.9Limited Grand Cherokee was packing a serious punch with a built magnum. His son was driving a modified diesel Liberty that was pretty cool. Too many were equipped with not enough tire and overcompensation with too much throttle. It would lend to some of the issues we ran into during the day.
First goal is to make it to our host's cabin. We took the long way in from the south, but at the lower elevation, the snow was minimal except for in the shady areas. Our hos was driving the 5.9 Limited Jeep. (click on the image to go to my flickr page to watch)
Snow run by Rob Zulian, on FlickrYou might notice by the sound I've got a wicked exhaust leak. I got to listen to it ALL day. Left side manifold blew out the gasket.
Snow run by Rob Zulian, on FlickrSnow run by Rob Zulian, on FlickrSnow run by Rob Zulian, on FlickrSnow run by Rob Zulian, on FlickrSnow run by Rob Zulian, on FlickrStanding on the deck of the cabin looking west.
Our host lit a fire in the fireplace to warm us up and he cooked up a mess of hamburgers and hot dogs, we all bought something to pitch in for lunch that hit the spot after the ride up.
We warmed up and eventually made are way further up the mountain to gain elevation and snow depth. We found it for sure. Larry's Waggy put on a little show with the lockers engaged and let the 6.4 Hemi sing.
Snow run by Rob Zulian, on FlickrSnow run by Rob Zulian, on FlickrSnow run by Rob Zulian, on FlickrSnow run by Rob Zulian, on FlickrWe eventually got high enough to reach a clearing from the trees. That area is deceptive. The wind blows through there drifting the snow deep in low spots. Larry is leading the way and manages to sink in and almost get stuck. He was able to back up enough to let me get by. The trail looked like a groomed ski run with corduroy grooves on the surface. Hmm, we must have stumbled onto a snowmobile trail here. By now I'm in low range and humming along in 2nd gear letting the 8.1 eat. Progress was going well getting a couple of hundred feet past Larry's spot when my momentum slowed and the truck broke through the crust and sunk in deep. No way to move forward or backward. Stuck good. Ironically, it's only a few hundered feet away from where I got stuck in May where I took the picture that was used for the calendar.
Just as stuck as before too.
Bill and Larry work their way down to rescue me. 3 tow straps couldn't reach. Larry had to use the Waggy's winch to pull me back enough to have Bill give me a tug from his direction where he is in shallower snow.
After a group of snowmobiles buzzed through (they didn't look happy to see us either) Bill was able to yank my heavy pig to spot where I could move again.
We've been here many times and much like a gatekeeper on a rock crawling trail, if we can get past this area we won't be able to proceed without a lot of digging and winching. We wisely started heading back down since it was getting late and the shadows getting longer. We didn't want to be up here in the dark.
That didn't stop a Bro-dozer diesel on 22" wheels with skinny mud terrains and 8" trashcan tip exhaust, stock '02 Silverado on street treads and an XJ Cherokee. They dive deep into the same mess I just got pulled from. Sure enough, they all got stuck just as quickly. Somebody in a different Grand Cherokee got them unstuck. We continued to move down the mountain. Making good progress we quickly came to another log jam on the trail.
This time it's a stuper dooty on street treads that managed to pop a bead on a log. He was following us up earlier and had be dealing with it while we were up higher. Turns out he didn't have the key to access his spare tire. So he couldn't swap a tire and move on. Once we got back to him they were mid-efforts to reseat the tire and failing. We lost an hour up there parked. We had to wait it out and watch the sun get lower and the temp drop accordingly. Normally the temp wouldn't be an issue with the heater in my truck, but it wasn't. I had every intention to replace the blower switch and resistor on new years eve, but seemed to have misplaced the two new parts I bought a week earlier. Trudging around in the snow my jeans were frozen, feet wet from the wrong choice in footwear and the temp was dropping fast.
Waiting around for the tire reseat was not helping. Running the truck I got a little residual heat that would come off the vent, but not enough to dethaw my feet. The tire was finally reseated and we were able to start making our way down the trail again. As predicted it was dark before we got off the mountain. Thank goodness I did install the LED bulbs in the headlights finally. Holy crap they throw the light down the road. We aired up our tires when we got back to pavement and made our way back to Westcliffe. Quick stop for fuel and we boogied back home.
It was a great first run for the truck. The drive to the trailhead took us 40 miles down the interstate where the truck hummed along in 5th gear without any issues. The big uphill climb just south of Colorado City where the 5.3/700r4 would be wound out in 2nd gear and losing speed the 8.1 didn't disappoint. Just roll on the throttle and it stayed at or above the speed limit in 5th. On the trail where I'd be in 4lo once the snow started getting deep or steep to keep the 5.3 in the torque band, I kept the t-case in high range and the 8.1 cruised in the snow in second or third gear without complaint. Only when it got really deep did I ever thrown the trans into granny gear or go for 4lo. Larry's spring adjustment really did its job without adding stiffness to the rear end. On-road it felt the same. Off-road it was just as good as before. We both wondered if it would make the rear bouncy or stiff. As un-scientific as we were picking leafs from other packs, it came out good. The steering gear Larry threw on made all the difference for road handling. No more wandering down the road.
Overall, as I thought it's a completely different animal to drive off-road and now on road too.
Several years ago I started carrying a winter gear bag: coat, snow pants, hat, gloves, heavy socks, and snow boots. I take it along even if I'm wearing winter gear already. My thinking is for an emergency; if I got stuck in the ditch with the family, I could dress warmly enough to be outside fixing the problem or walking to get help. I also started throwing it in the crew cab for snow runs. I've only needed it one time, on the "snowmaggedon" run when we got stuck overnight on Spring Creek fighting snow all night. At some point in the middle of the night, I decided my feet were too cold and I finally put on my winter gear. I can't tell you how much of a moral booster it was to put on those warm dry socks and boots.
Since that experience I have never thought twice about throwing the snow gear bag in the truck.
Since that experience I have never thought twice about throwing the snow gear bag in the truck.
Awesome day of snow wheeling. The videos on instagram were great.
And there's always a couple idiots going where they shouldn't be
And there's always a couple idiots going where they shouldn't be
Not a bad idea. Funny thing was I brought two jackets, gloves, wore thermals under my jeans. Left my Sorel boots in the closet. Stupid mistake I know, but they do suck to drive with 3 pedals when your feet border on the squatch size at 15. That was my rationalization for not wearing them. Hindsight being what it is, I'll forgo driving comfort to keep my little piggys from turning black next time.
I had thoughts of your Snowmaggedon trip when we realized we were probably getting out of there in the dark. We were one broken truck from being even later. I didn't have the power reconnected to the camper and didn't have the propane bottle in the camper either. Had I had those I could have run the furnace in the camper to warm up and been better off in the off chance we had to stick it out overnight. I won't go for a snow run without the camper ready and extra gear onboard.
Awesome day of snow wheeling. The videos on instagram were great.
And there's always a couple idiots going where they shouldn't be
There were more than a couple. But since we were guests openly heckling them might have not been got the reaction we are normally used to. Those of us that typically go wheeling together can and will heckle, harass, and pick on each other. We are used to it and all the heckling is all in good fun. But many of these people we had never met before so we played nice. However, none of them were on GMRS radios like we were so we had some interesting radio chatter.
In the pic from the cabin, you can see a couple of rigs that provided quality entertainment for us. The pewter Silverado spent a solid 10 minutes trying to get up on the level ground next to the older silver F150 there. I thought I've revved the snot out of a 5.3 myself but this kid put me to shame right then. He was pounding on that poor truck as if it owed him money. Ian and I were standing on the deck watching this and cracking jokes with each other. I was laughing so hard I almost hyperventilated from the lack of oxygen at that elevation. The Jeep next to that truck struggled to try to get up to the level ground too and made multiple attempts to do so. Each one having us laughing harder too. The F150 there had a bigger exhaust leak than I did or it was spitting out a couple of spark plugs from the 4.6L it had in it. He drove just like the Silverado kid. The Grand Cherokee behind the F150 was on street treads and required more tugs when the depth got serious. The Bronco II is actually pretty capable if the driver didn't whip it like he does. A couple of years ago he was up there with us and he managed to snap the pinion on the Dana 30 TTB front end. Sure enough, at lunch, we got to watch him swap out a driver side lockout hub that he managed to break on the way up. The Bro-dozer Dodge is just to the left of the Bronco.
We had fun regardless, but going out with folks we know that have rides that are capable limits the problems we had with the run. Next time we'll be probably going with just our little group into a different area.
My buddy John posted a video on YouTube from his dashcam of the run. It's a long one but if you are cooped up inside with nothing to do it's a good time killer. Plus it's got our awesome Colorado scenery that can't be beat.
I used to wear my regular shoes and change into the snow boots later. Anymore, I just wear the boots the entire time. I think I probably started doing that after snowmaggedon.
I sometimes debate about bringing my little buddy heater just in case. But then sometimes I get tired of packing TOO much stuff.
red EOD
1/2 ton status
I bring extra clothes as well, never brought extra boots before.
Came up to Denver to visit my folks this weekend. Talked to my buddy up here that his son works at the private junkyard about getting the correct '91 core support. He had the one on the truck one of my fenders and dash ac parts came from.
So this morning I helped my Dad into the Blazer for his first ride in the new version of the truck. We made our way over to Erie where our buddy lives. Got to the yard and crawled back to the Burb. With one fender already off we just had to pull the bolts from the other side and the body mount bolts.
The support is in pretty good shape. It's in need of a good scrubbing and fresh paint. Interesting little find on it. I've never seen a factory cold air inlet like this one. Wondering if there's a way to integrate it into my intake and lower the intake air temp.
The support lacks the normal hole I've seen for the air intake.
Anybody seen a housing like this for the air intake?
So this morning I helped my Dad into the Blazer for his first ride in the new version of the truck. We made our way over to Erie where our buddy lives. Got to the yard and crawled back to the Burb. With one fender already off we just had to pull the bolts from the other side and the body mount bolts.
The support is in pretty good shape. It's in need of a good scrubbing and fresh paint. Interesting little find on it. I've never seen a factory cold air inlet like this one. Wondering if there's a way to integrate it into my intake and lower the intake air temp.
The support lacks the normal hole I've seen for the air intake.
Anybody seen a housing like this for the air intake?
Interesting. I can't say that I have ever seen one. Anything special about the Sub it came off of?
Not that I could see. It came from a 2wd half ton burb. Base model truck. 350/auto.
That's a reverse version of a snorkel. It makes sure your engine hydro locks if you go in deep.
I don't have a good picture, but my crew cab had one of those.
I also don't think it has the air intake cutouts in the core support.
I also don't think it has the air intake cutouts in the core support.
Isn't it pulling air through the 3 holes in the front? It should be connected to the side of the vertical box section.
I believe that my '90 Jimmy is that way, even though it has the quad lights. I can't remember where and how many of the ejector boots I have seen. I don't believe that I have seen it on lots of them. I think that it is a drain for water entering the intake.
This is one of the extra core supports that I have, engine side shot.
I believe that my '90 Jimmy is that way, even though it has the quad lights. I can't remember where and how many of the ejector boots I have seen. I don't believe that I have seen it on lots of them. I think that it is a drain for water entering the intake.
This is one of the extra core supports that I have, engine side shot.
That's the thing, just about any water crossing I've encountered on our trips has been no more than up to the hubs. If I was to encounter depth up to the bumper it's going to require a hard look before diving in.
Interesting. The use of this box would require fabbing up a box to enclose the air filter and connect to the factory box. Considering my coolant overflow bottle is currently residing down at the bottom of the support right where this inlet is, things would have to move around.
It's an idea I'm kicking around but most likely not get used right away.
You guys had me wondering so much I had to go out and look at a quad headlight front clip I have. It does pull air from the 3 holes.
Looks like the rubber boot is just missing from that one.
I didn't have on of the adapters easily accessible to look at.
That's interesting. I wasn't sure the quad headlight setup had that as it looked like the inside light bucket was in the way.
My original quad light core support was missing it then. The hillbillies Larry got my truck from probably tossed it when they tossed a carb on it.
I found the one from the crew cab.
